A Professor of Transport and Logistics at Lagos State University (LASU), Samuel Odewumi, has urged the Federal Government to prioritize the conclusion and implementation of a national transportation policy that would effectively benefit all Nigerians.
He emphasized that the policy should be comprehensive, covering all modes of transportation, including road, air, rail, water, and pipeline.
Additionally, Prof. Odewumi called on the government to address the prevailing insecurity that has dampened Nigeria’s transport system, making it unattractive to various segments of society, including farmers.
He made this plea during his delivery of the 99th inaugural lecture series at LASU on Tuesday.
He spoke on, “Walking our way back to the garden of Eden: Envisioning a model of the complete metamorphosis of the urban transportation system trajectory.”
According to him, all modes of transportation in Nigeria need overhauling as no one is independent of the others.
He expressed dissatisfaction that Nigeria’s transportation sector is not only functioning well but balkanised such that the activities in the sector are scattered across many government ministries and agencies.
He said this situation was greatly displeased the Nigerian academia and professional associations such as the Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria(CIOTA).
According to him, road and rail management, inland and international waters, the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which serves as pipeline, and the Ministry of Works (road construction) should all have been under one umbrella body- Ministry of Transportation – with an overall minister while a minister of state to head each of the other units.
This arrangement, he pointed out, would have unleashed the sector’s full potential in its facilitation and contribution to the national economy.
Speaking further, the don, who was the former dean of the School of Transport and Logistics at LASU, gave several other recommendations capable of substantially moving the nation’s transport sector forward.
He said the government would need to give special attention in terms of effective management of road transportation because about 90 per cent of all mobility in the country is carried out on roads.
He equally emphasised the professionalism of the transport sector at the three levels of governance by allowing experts who understand the system very well to be in charge at all levels of governance- local, state and national.
The inaugural lecturer, however, commended the Lagos State government for concluding its own transportation policy which has already been presented to the stakeholders on 28th of May this year, advising that any further review necessary on the document should be carried out without delay.
He said the document if well reviewed to become a policy would set a pace for the Federal and other state governments still battling with their own formations.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
